Attorney-General Dominic Akuritinga Ayine has discontinued criminal proceedings against former finance minister Kwabena Duffuor and seven others, marking a significant shift in the country’s long-running effort to recover funds from its financial sector cleanup.
The move, disclosed in a press release dated July 22, follows a nolle prosequi (unwilling to pursue) entered in the case of The Republic v. Kwabena Duffuor & 7 Others (CR/0248/2020), effectively ending the trial after the state said it recovered at least 60% of the alleged financial losses tied to the accused.
“This decision does not imply an absence of wrongdoing,” the Attorney-General’s office said, calling the move a “pragmatic step” aligned with the broader national interest of resource recovery.
The case was among several prosecutions stemming from Ghana’s sweeping overhaul of its financial sector, which began in 2018 and led to the collapse or consolidation of several banks and financial institutions. The initiative aimed to restore stability and public confidence in the banking system, but also triggered legal action against former executives and directors over alleged mismanagement and fraud.
According to the statement, the Attorney-General’s office, working with other state agencies, had established a policy requiring at least 60% recovery of state losses as a threshold for reassessing whether prosecution served the public interest. Officials said Duffuor and his co-accused met that threshold after extended negotiations.
“In furtherance of public interest, and considering the significant recoveries made for the state, the Honourable Attorney-General has satisfied himself that continuing with the prosecution will not serve any additional public purpose,” the release stated.
The Attorney-General also emphasized that the exercise of prosecutorial discretion requires no legal justification, but opted to release details “in the spirit of accountability and transparency.”
Duffuor, a former governor of the Bank of Ghana and owner of defunct uniBank was one of the most high-profile figures caught up in the post-crisis enforcement wave during the banking sector clean-up. His case had drawn considerable public attention, both for its political implications and the broader question of how Ghana handles white-collar financial misconduct.
The Attorney-General’s office, meanwhile, said it remains committed to protecting public funds and pursuing justice in all cases of national interest.
Find the statement below
